Improvement in bee-hives



l ond the same distance from'that.

@ aient chillin.

HENRY canna, or WESTMORELAND, NEW YORK.

` Letters Patent No.4100,524, dated March 8, 1870.

kHannover/ENT IN BEE-Enns.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making peut of the same To all whom tt may concern Be it known that I, HENRY GREMS, of' Westmoreland, inthe county of Oneida,l and vState of New York, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in Bee-Hives; and I do" hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and use oi' the same, reference being had licat-ion, in which#- Figurel is an external view of the complete hive.

Figure 2 is the same, with the h inged top Athrown back in order to show the` usual arrangement of combframes B and ail-passages H, on the top ofwhich and upon an intervening platform are to be set the movable boxes for the surplus honey, which boxes are covered by turning down over them the hinged top A.

This latter figure also` shows the drop bottom C, made for the convenience of cleaning ont the hive without disturbing the bees. l

My invention consists in providing a more perfect ventilation for the hive,in order toinduce the bees to to the annexed drawings making a part of this specicontinue `their work during the heat of summer, in-l stead of clustering upon the external surface of the hive in search of ii'ee air.

In iig. 1 `we see the front end of the hive, with the entrance D for the bees situated in a recess overhung by the projectingcanopy E.

In fig. 2 we'see the rear end F, with the drop bottom C, shown here as let down, to brush olf thefilth which gat-hers upon its surface. When this is done, the bottom is again hooked' up to thestaple F, when all is tight and secure. hinged at the front, and by the hinge being screwed to the u pper side of the joint, the end of the boardV being beveled off at the under edge so as to allow the back end to fall, as shown in the ligure.

The ventilation ise'ected by means of two air-passages, sideV by side on each side ofthe hive, formed by partitions; the first partition standing within half an inch or thereabouts of the side of the hive; the sec other partition, standing next to the space occupied by the comb-frames. The first partition forms a pas- This adjust-able bottom is j Then comes anl ne wire-gauze screen, admitting the passage of the air, but preventing that of the bees.

This arrangement of partitions and air-passages is repeated on the opposite side of the hive. They are more distinctly shown atG, Figure 3, which is a cross section of the hive.

The air enters these air-passages at the orifices G, figs. 1 and 2, at both ends of the hive. These orifices have an inside covering of wire-gauze to exclude the becs and the insects, and are entirely closed at pleasfure by the outside sliding valves lr, seen in the rear,

and the slides s, seen in iront.

The intervening platform being here removed, the

surface B, fig. 2, discloses the inside air-passages at H, covered with wire-gauze as described, the middle space B being that occupied by the usual comb-trames with their intervening spaces.

Above al1V this liesthe usual platform, (not here shown,") containing apertures for the passa-ge oi' the bees yinto the chamber above, where are placed, as before stated, the movable honey-cells for the surplus honey.

There is an arrangement for the entrance of the bees at D, iig. v1, designed to contract the entrance by means of the adjustable door I, so as to admit the entrance or exit ot' only one bee at a time, to enable the swarm within to contend with advantage against intruding swarms that come to rob them. l

The cupped legs o are also provided to contain water to drown on their passage such creeping'insects as might otherwise invade the hive.

But I do not now claim asnew the device at the front entrance, nor' the cupped legs here mentioned; but

What I now claim as my invention', and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Thearrangement of the vertical triple walls forming two connecting air-spaces for the air to pass through them from bottom to top, the inner one of which communicates with the horizontal air-spaces between the comb-frames and the upper honey-boxes, while the outer space admits air from the outside through adinstable perforated openings upon the front and rear ends of the hive, substantially as herein described and set forth.

Witnesses: HENRY GREMS.

` WILLIAM BAKER,

A. WHEDON. 

